


these shadows start to feel like home

by smallredboy



Category: Hannibal (TV), The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - The Magnus Archives Setting, Episode: s01e13 Savoureux, M/M, beholding!will, empathy as a beholding power, flesh+spiral!hannibal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-25
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:27:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27197825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smallredboy/pseuds/smallredboy
Summary: Will realizes the truth of Hannibal's existence after escaping transport.
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27
Collections: Froday Flash Fiction Little & Monthly Specials 2020, Gen Prompt Bingo Round 18





	these shadows start to feel like home

**Author's Note:**

> **fffc's 100th special:** obsession  
>  **gen prompt bingo:** empathy
> 
> enjoy!

Will takes a long time to learn what he is, but when he does, everything makes a bit more sense.

Him Knowing starts to interfere with his day to day life, as he realizes he needs to Know to survive. His specific flavor of Knowing— something most people weren't ahold of, with what he heard about other Beholding avatars wasn't like his own— was about empathy, about _being_ there when he wanted to be there. He's glad he went to Baltimore, then, started to work there. Otherwise he would've never found such a hotspot for gruesome murders.

His powers get weaker as the days pass, and he starts getting more ill. He'd thought this was because of a lack of cases in any other situation, but no, the cases just keep piling up. It's not that— he's sick, like normal humans are. He wishes he was invulnerable to such things, but such is the way of life. He still has to deal with being human, even if he's not really human anymore.

He never was, really. He doesn't know when it happened, but he's always been like this. He's just struggled to find a way to harness it, until he studied what he studied and found himself as a FBI teacher and then a FBI investigator. This is the first time his job is fulfilling, perhaps because it fulfills what he needs to survive. If it were for him, he would never eat human food. He doesn't think he needs it. But he has to keep appearances— it's not like anyone in the FBI believes in the supernatural or would believe him if he told them he was an Avatar, but still.

It's when he gets caught with encephalitis and accused of the murders of the Copycat Killer that everything falls into place. His powers stopped working properly because of it. Otherwise, he would've realized what Hannibal is a long while ago.

"You're one of us as well," Will says, pointing a gun he took from one of the guards at him, even though he doubts that'd do anything to him. "You're...." He swallows. "You're involved with the Spiral, right?"

Hannibal blinks at him owlishly, and then he laughs. It's clipped, echoing, two-faced. Like there's multiple Hannibal's in the room. It weirds him out. "Yes," he says. "The Flesh, as well."

"The Flesh—?" He blinks. He thinks of the way every copycat murder was arranged. He thinks about the missing organs and Hannibal's expensive dinners for the Baltimore elite. Bile rises up his throat, but he doesn't show it. It makes sense. Too much sense. "Oh," he says.

"Yes," Hannibal says.

"Abigail isn't dead, then." 

Hannibal blinks at him.

"What?"

"You made me think she's dead. You're making everyone think she's dead. But... why only an ear?"

"There's more in that kitchen," he says. "The Hobbs kitchen."

"She's not dead," Will says. He stares at him, tries to Know. He's clearer, less blurry at the edges. He's aware of everything that's happening now, can use his empathy for good— the good of knowing the fact Hannibal is lying to him. He's hit with visions of Hannibal touching the scar on the side of her face tenderly, helping her off a kitchen counter. He smiles. "She's not dead," he repeats slowly.

Hannibal tilts his head. "No one will believe you, Will."

He huffs. "They won't," he agrees. "But I'll see her, when I'm out of jail. Because I'll find a way out."

He smiles at him, tilts his head. "You may. You may not." He hums. "Do you want me to show you the scene of the crime?"

"The pretend crime scene," he says. "But sure. You can."

Everything makes sense now, as he follows Hannibal to his car. He knows he didn't do it, as everything falls into place. Hannibal is of the Spiral and of the Flesh, feeding his cravings with his job and his murders. 

"Is Abigail anything, yet? You're trying to make her like you, I assume?"

"I think..." Hannibal sighs, looking at the road. "I don't know. I feel like she's much more inclined to be along the lines of the Hunt. Because of, well..."

"Well, she was raised to hunt," he says. "She may have been touched by it already. I do feel like her father was not touched by any entity, though. By all means he seems to have been... _normal_. Human."

"Mmhm." Will has seen alignments toward the Entities in the cases he's had to review— the woman who manipulated all those kids into killing their families was a Lukas, after all, even if the FBI couldn't make that connection at all. Georgia Madchen was most likely a victim of the Stranger, and it led to her death. He feels sorry for her. But with Hobbs, he didn't feel anything that led to any of the Entities— just malice, and strange issues in regards to his daughter. With how Abigail is being taken care of by an Avatar of two Entities, it's only a matter of time before she gets turned into something more than that, though.

"Georgia Madchen was probably a victim of the Stranger, wasn't she?"

"Yes." He hums. "I do believe that she was mentally ill beyond that, but the faces part of it was most definitely the Stranger messing with her." He sighs. "Why are you framing me?"

Hannibal tilts his head. "I was curious to see what would happen."

Will lets out a put-upon sigh, but doesn't question it as he drives him back to Minnesota.

He'll find a way out of prison, some way or another. Eventually, he'll get out of there and he'll get his reckoning. Knowing that Hannibal is a creature just like him— even if ultimately different— still changes everything, though. His plans will change as needed.


End file.
